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Tapping on the Glass

You can use context clues to piece together this original conversation. A portion of it repeats from a past post. Otherwise, I have nothing else to say because it’s all written below.

I am also a Christian. The things you have spoken about are not answered with the simple recall of one verse. You have at least eight pages in the book of Romans to look at, but I have helped to point out important things after having read all those pages myself (again). Here we go.

Sacrifices are not just for the Original Sin. They are also for ongoing sins throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites gave these sacrifices because this is how they were made right with God. This is how they were made clean before God. Your post is correct in saying that Jesus frees us from our sin. There is no sin that can separate us from God (Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 103:10-12 and there are many more). So you see that blasted and stupid argument that homosexuality is a worse sin than others is completely false. God forgives every sin. Homosexuality is not exclusive in any way.

Please do pay attention to Romans 1-8:17 because the law and consciousness of sin are discussed here by Paul. Romans 1:26-27 condemns homosexuality, lust and sexual impurity.

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law…Do we, then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” Romans 3:28, 31

If there was no law you could not be held accountable for sins (Romans 5:13). Those who live under the law (believers) will be judged by the law. Those apart from the law (unbelievers) will perish apart from the law (Romans 2:12).

We have forgiveness through Christ, but that does not mean we should go on sinning as if the law does not matter anymore (Romans 6:2). “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6: 12-14

Paul says we are not under the law, but the law is not void! “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Romans 6:15

The law is not abolished and it is still in place. Special dietary restrictions and cleaning rituals are not necessary for Christians to practice because Christ makes us clean. Jesus himself points this out in Mark 7:18-19 by saying that what makes a man unclean comes from his heart. Jesus makes us permanently clean (1 John 1:17). Jesus died for our sins and believers, in accepting Jesus, die to our sins as well. We also have died to our old ways and to the law which brings death when it is broken (Romans 7:4). Circumcision was necessary to show faith in God; to show that men belong to God. Faith in Jesus is accredited to us as righteousness and therefore circumcision of men is no longer necessary.

Jesus himself said that maintaining his commands are important, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 15:10

The law teaches us what sin is (Romans 7:7). The law is holy and righteous and good Paul says in verse 12. Paul goes on to say in the next couple of verses how sin wages war inside of us. We do the things we do not want to do. We sin even though we hate it. We do the wrong thing even though it hurts us. We know what is right…but we are weak and do not do what is right.

Again, the law is not void. Romans 8:7-9, “…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”

“For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14

Our faith in Jesus makes us right with God, but… “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” Romans 2:13

Faith is shown. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). That means that you obey God’s word to the best of your ability. Everyone will always sin. That is inevitable, but you do not actively seek sin.

The verse that you quoted above, the one regarding judgment, is most commonly abused by people who don’t understand what it means. I, as a fellow believer, am instructed to tell another believer when she is sinning. I am not passing judgment in the respect that I am taking God’s power and condemning you. I am merely showing you something that you are sinning in (Titus 3:10).

“But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister (Christian) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’” (Deuteronomy 13:5) 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.

When Paul uses the word “judge” he means to determine if something is wrong or right. If someone claims to be a Christian, but she gets drunk, has casual sex and hates other people then she is breaking God’s word. Fellow believers can and should tell other believers when they are sinning and living against God. We’re supposed to build each other up in Christ. Judgment is a bad thing when we do the following things:

One: compare our sins and say that one is worse or less than the other. God measures all sin the same and comparing each other is senseless and sinful.

Two: assuming the worst of someone.

Three: being arrogant/hypocritical and saying that someone else is sinful…as if you yourself are not sinful.

Paul says that a person who claims to be a Christian but actively lives against God’s word is not really a Christian and should be rejected from the church. God will judge every human for the time spent on earth whether they are believers or not (also Psalm 98:9 and elsewhere). Christians, however, should “judge” each other meaning to pay attention to what is right or wrong in our lives.

Right before that 1 Corinthians verse I gave you, Paul said this, “I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 5:3-5

Paul says he passed judgment! That’s not wrong because he means he has determined that a man has sinned in this case by marrying his mother. Handing someone over to Satan means that you let that person indulge in her sin. Eventually it will crush her because that always happens. When she is heartbroken and humbled she may return to God.

As a believer, you cannot engage in the ways of the world. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means you must change your life for Christ. You cannot live like you once did by doing what the world thinks is right or taking part in evil desires.

Both the Old and New Testaments condemn homosexuality and sexual immorality. If this bothers you then you should also know that those who follow Christ will be hated: “‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.'” (John 15:18-19). The world is supposed to hate you because you, as a Christian, are to follow God’s word. Your obedience is the exercise of faith. Only Jesus’s love for you and his outlook of you is important. The world and its opinions are madness.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” 1 John 2:15

Now, back to the law…

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” Romans 3:19-20

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:22-24). Jesus was cursed because he was hung on a tree (Galatians 3:13) and in doing this he released us from the curse of our sin. He was able to do this because he himself never sinned and was a perfect sacrifice for humankind.

Jesus and the disciples went out and talked about things that are sinful to do. Jesus himself did not directly speak about homosexuality, but since “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) and the Old and New Testament writers condemned homosexuality then it is wrong according to God.

You can argue that the Bible is outdated! Homosexuality was a sin to that culture of people thousands of years ago. They didn’t know any better. They were so foolish and primitive. In our present generation, people are more open-minded and may believe that homosexuality is acceptable.

It can seem like the Bible is outdated, but it is not. It is the Living Word and God does not change his mind on the things he says nor does his Word expire. “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19

“For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

His word is applied to our lives now and forever.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

Homosexuality is a temptation that some people have a weakness for. They want the world to accept their weakness and tell them that they can do what they want. Whatever feels good that’s what people want. If your heart is full of lust, just give in. Give in.

Here’s that same argument, but homosexuality is exchanged for a different sin.

Tell the murderer that he can continue to kill people because he has a weakness for it and it makes him feel good. Tell the thief that he can continue to steal because he has a weakness for it and it makes him feel good. Tell the liar that he can continue to lie because he has a weakness for it and it makes him feel good. Tell the rapist, tell the gossiper, tell the backstabber, tell the curser, tell the blasphemer, tell the greedy, tell the proud…it’s all the same argument. You can easily argue that it was a cultural standpoint back then that “stealing” was wrong or that “lying” was wrong. But it’s still sinful today. That does not expire.

If we pick and choose the things we like out of the Bible we are no longer living for God.

“’For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!’” Galatians 2:19-21

This means, simply, that all people have broken the law. We are all sinful. We need Christ for forgiveness and he makes us right before the Father. Again, the law is not void because of this. There are countless instructions in the New Testament alone which we are advised to follow.

If you want to know what love is it is not a feeling! God SHOWED his love to us by sending his son to die for us. This is love: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:7-12

Especially in our culture lust is often mistaken for love. Lust is a sin (1 John 2:16, Proverbs 6:25, Colossians 3:5, 1 Peter 4:3 and on). The Bible also tells us that feelings should not be trusted. They are easily influenced and can lead us into darkness (Jeremiah 17:9).

Do you really believe in your heart that you are living for God when you engage in a lesbian relationship?

Do not live like unbelievers. Do not live like you once did. For you were like them once, but now you have changed.

Friend, you are making a choice to pursue another woman in a relationship. That is a CHOICE. No one can force you to do that. If you are saying that your attraction is not a choice then okay that makes sense, but you’re breaking God’s word when you lust for another person or have a gay relationship.

Look, I have lusted for women before. I have a female friend that I was once extremely attracted to. The attraction did not seem to be a choice. The choice was whether to act on that attraction or to disregard it. I chose to disregard it. Of course I still sinned because it was out of lust. It is possible for me to love this friend of mine without it becoming corrupted.

My dear, if you do not trust me or anyone else who has spoken to you on these matters then take it right to Jesus. If you want wisdom and understanding you can pray for that and it will be given to you (James 1:5), but the motivation in your heart had better be for God’s will in your life and not to fulfil your desires (Philippians 2:21).

With all these things considered you’ve got a question to answer. Is your heart really, honestly, for God and his will? You must be very careful with your answer toward this question. I have no desire to hear your answer. This is for you to stand before God. If you really love him and his son then you will have to give up many things.

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8